Photo by Muffy Aldrich
The Modern Guide to The Thing Before Preppy

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Favorite Clothing Shops and Great Places to Eat Afterwards

J. Press, 380 Madison Avenue, New York City - All Photos by Salt Water New England.

An email from Chuck Ramsay:

I enjoyed your post on your favorite restaurants.  It made me ruminate on my favorite clothing shops and how they are in close proximity to some of my favorite eating establishments.  I thought I would run them by you.

1) J. Press (Cambridge, MA) is nothing short of Mecca.  I can stay for hours soaking up the history.  Then go one street over to John Harvard’s Brewhouse for great beer selection and good food.

Cambridge's J. Press

2) I grew up close by Eljos (Charlottesville, VA), and spent much time as a kid gawking at the window displays.  It has moved from the UVA Corner, but not too far.  Go to The Corner, then to The Virginian (it’s been there so long I’m sure Jefferson raised a grog or two there).

3) Alvin-Dennis (Lexington, VA) is next door to the beautiful Washington & Lee campus, another childhood haunt.  Then go two blocks to The Palms, a Lexington institution.

4) At  J. Press (New York City), I bought my first blue ocbd w/flap pocket.  Then take a cab to P.J. Clarke’s Bar on 55th with great food and even greater ambiance. [Link to entry]

5) Murray’s (Nantucket) is a pilgrimage of sorts for me.  Then walk over to Brotherhood of Thieves on Broad St., one of my all time favorites, with great sandwiches.

The Author's Photo

6) I love The Admiral’s Buttons (Camden, ME).  Then go around the corner to The Waterfront Restaurant on the deck for lobster, or up the street to Cappys for amazing chowder and a cold Geary’s.

Cappy's Chowder House

7) The Holmes Store (Northeast Harbor, ME) is a nice shop in one of my favorite coastal Maine villages.  Then walk down Main St. to Colonel’s Restaurant for fresh Maine seafood.

8) George Dean’s (Athens, GA) is the quintessential college shop, one block from U of GA campus.  Then walk across the street to The Grill, an Athens institution.

9) Landry’s (Oxford, MS) is cool shop near Ole Miss.  Then go one door down to Square Books and browse, and finally a couple of more down to City Grocery, a legendary Oxford watering hole with outstanding food

10) Grady Ervin & Co (Charleston, SC) is in one of my favorite cities.  Then walk over to Hank’s Seafood or take a short ride to Sullivan’s Island and eat at Poe’s Tavern, with great burgers followed by a walk on the beach.

11) Laurance Clothing (Annapolis, MD) and McGarvey's Saloon & Oyster Bar.  Awesome. I can't wait to go back and spend more time walking around Annapolis and the harbor and sample a few more pubs.

12)  F.L.Woods (Marblehead, MA) is a great shop and The Barnacle has the best chowder I have had outside of Maine. Beautiful town and harbor.

The Barnacle in Marblehead, MA
Oh well, at the moment, I can only dream of being in one of these venerable establishments browsing and then over for a great meal.

Cheers, Chuck Ramsay, Murfreesboro, TN



Old School Prep left this comment, and I thought I would add some of my own pictures and copy it here.

I was very impressed by Chuck Ramsay's interesting list of top notch Prep/Trad clothing stores and nearby noteworthy eateries. I would like to offer two more of each to make the list an even dozen.

13) J. Press (New Haven, CT) is the genesis of it all. It is conveniently located near the beautiful Yale campus and a short walk to Louis Lunch for a wonderful luncheon fare.

J. Press, York Street, New Haven. RIP

14) J. Press (Washington, DC), although it lacks the traditional ambiance of the Cambridge and New Haven stores, it is an oasis of Preppy clothing in our nation's capital and a short jaunt from the Old Ebbitt Grill for a hearty lunch of oysters and fine Kentucky Bourbon or other great food choices.

Washington, D.C.


To these, add:

15) Royal Male (Newport, RI) has one of the best and most unique collections of wonderful clothes, mostly from the UK and Europe,  hand curated by the one-and-only Etienne.  Then, get some chowder at The Black Pearl.

Royal Male

16) Andover Shop (Cambridge, MA) and Charlies Kitchen.

Andover Shop